This invention relates to a method for welding an axle housing.
An axle housing provides a protective covering for the differential that couples the drive shaft to the axle. Typically, the axle housing is shaped like a bowl. Another collar, known as a snorkel, is mounted on top of the axle housing to support the coupling thru shaft between tandem axles. Generally, the axle housing and snorkel are made of steel and are two separate pieces.
Currently, the snorkel housing is mounted to the axle housing by arc welding the two housings together. In this process, the weld is produced by the extreme heat of an electric arc drawn between an electrode and the seam between the two housings. The arc melts the mating surfaces of the two housings together. This process is conducted around the seam of the two housing until they are sufficiently welded together.
However, because of the curved shape of the axle housing and the snorkel, problems arise welding the housing surface to the snorkel surface. Specifically, at times, a welder may experience difficulty positioning the electrode close enough to the seam to be welded due to the curvature of these surfaces and shape of the housings. As a consequence, excess splatter, poor weld penetration, porosity of the weld, and other issues may arise concerning the weld.
A need therefore exists to weld the axle housing to the snorkel in a manner that avoids these production issues that arise from arc welding.
In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, the method of welding the housing comprises providing an axle housing surface and a blank surface to be welded together. In contrast to arc welding, heat is generated from at least one of these surfaces at their interface instead of away from the surfaces to be welded by an electrode. The surfaces are then applied together. Because heat is generated from at least one of the surfaces at their interface, this method of welding avoids the difficulty of attempting to position a heat source near the curved surface of the axle housing.
The heat may be generated by electric discharge between the surfaces. The electric discharge results from creating an electric potential between the surfaces and moving the surfaces in proximity to each other to effect the electric discharge. To further weld the surfaces together, the surfaces are moved apart and another electric potential is created between the surfaces. The surfaces are moved together to effect the electric discharge. Again, the surfaces are applied together. This process may be repeated until the surfaces are sufficiently welded together.
Additionally, heat may also be generated by friction welding the surfaces together. Rubbing the surfaces against each other in a translational or rotational manner creates heat. The surfaces are applied together.
The axle housing surface is curved. The blank surface may be a snorkel. The product resulting from this process will have better weld penetration and reduced weld porosity.